Funtington Music Group

Funtington Music Group

2008 Review

The 2008 programme opened in January with the return of Christopher Gayford (piano) and Martin Cropper (violin) who began their lecture-recital with a fascinating insight into the intricacies of Ravel’s Violin Concerto, before playing the whole in the second half of the concert.  Martin Cropper’s interpretation of the work was outstanding and Christopher Gayford proved a sensitive and able accompanist.

 In February John Wheatley, Secretary of the Funtington Music Group, and also a returning lecturer, gave a fascinating and intriguing lecture on the music of Debussy and Ravel.  He spoke under the title of Painting with Music and he showed how, using interesting and apt quotations, both composers were particularly, but not exclusively, influenced by the innovative and revolutionary approach of the Impressionist Art Movement.

 In March the Parnassian Ensemble introduced us to a range of early English recorder music played by Helen Hooker and Sophie Middledich accompanied by their leader David Pollock on harpsichord and Lynden Cranham on Baroque Cello.  Lynden gave an absorbing description of her instrument and of the variety of musical styles which were performed by this highly professional local ensemble.

 In April the Student Showcase Concert again took place at the University of Chichester, where, incidentally, all Funtington Music Group concerts are held by kind permission of the University of Chichester.  The winners shared £1000 in prizes and the first three went on to perform at Chichester Cathedral on the following Saturday at the University Gala Concert.  The first prize of £500 was won by classical guitarist Chris Sweatman followed by baritone Rhys Hughes and pianist Ben Lathbury.

 In May Mihkel Kerem, an Estonian by birth, talked about the Estonian Musical Tradition.  Michael Nott interviewed Mihkel Kerem, who is a composer and talented violinist, and through the evening the audience were transported through Estonian history and its musical traditions.  The concert ended in a rousing conclusion with the final movement of Mihkel’s own Third Sonata for Violin and Piano.

 In June the performer at the popular Annual Summer Buffet Concert was Korean born concert pianist Young-Choon Park who was engaged as a result of generous sponsorship by David Brown FCA.  The programme concluded with the well known Beethoven Pathetique and Apassionata Sonatas after an interval when a delicious buffet was served by members and friends of the Committee.

 In September Terence Allbright returned to tell the story of two British composers from the 20^th Century: Cyril Scott and William Alwyn.  The audience were informed of many fascinating facts, including the snippet that whilst most composers at the time usually had four time signatures. Cyril Scott in his Sonata No.1 Opus 66 written in 1909 had 505.  Terence Allbright’s performance of both composers’ music was outstanding and much appreciated by the audience.

 In October the talented Rautio Trio gave a delightful performance of Beethoven’s Trio in A Flat opus 70/2 and although still youthful, all three musicians proved that they had real ability, which was especially shown in their performance of Tchaikovsky’s Trio in A Minor.

 In November the versatility and range of the clarinet was deftly portrayed by Andrew Mason in a lecture-recital which covered the three hundred years of music written for the clarinet.  The highlight of the evening was Andrew Mason’s performance of Brahms’ Sonata No 2 in E Flat which he played with extreme sensitivity and considerable talent.

 Finally in December Pippa Longworth and Karl Daymond entertained members and guests at the Funtington Music Group’s Festive Buffet Concert under the title Christmas in the Parlour.  This was a delightful musical and poetic romp, ranging from a quietly emotional rendition of Silent Night following a World War One reading of the 1914 Christmas truce, to a sampling of Prince Albert’s parlour songs written especially for Queen Victoria.

Review by Chris Linford and David Tinsley

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